Cultivating Kindness

Have you ever met someone who is kind? If so, I’m sure you would agree that they truly make a lasting impression. The virtue of kindness has this impact because we are the recipients of another’s genuine concern for our well-being and needs. A kind person sincerely cares about us and rejoices in our good fortune.  

Can you guess what capital sin kindness helps us overcome? It is envy—which is resentment or sadness at another’s good fortune, and the desire to have it for oneself. One of its manifestations is making nasty and unkind remarks about another person or people. If an envious person does not like someone or how they act, they will easily rattle off all the ways that a person needs to change. In a matter of seconds, they can tear down the goodness of another person. 

Granted these types of actions may not always be rooted in envy or even jealousy, but kindness remains a virtue we should strive to cultivate in our lives. Envy is a difficult sin to root out of our hearts, and I often recommend starting with prayer, praying for the person you resent. For this simple reason, when we sincerely pray, it is our hearts that are first changed. 

October is the month of the Holy Rosary, and this may be the perfect time to pick up your rosary and offer a few Hail Mary’s for anyone you may be resenting. Trust me, it works, and remember the change does not happen overnight—it may take months, even years. But in time, this person may be telling others what a kind person you are.